How comfortable should I feel?

Some of you know I work for a defense company, we all know the defense budget will most likely be taking serious hits over the next few years. (We build switchboards/power distribution for ships and build the generators for ground troops in Iraq/Afghanistan.)

So in the last 8 weeks we have had the following resignations: - Director of HR - VP of Finance - VP of Marketing and Sales - Head of fabrication (not sure of his exact title, but he was the top guy in charge of everything we build)

Granted I've had my eyes open since I started here a few years ago, but the need to really get looking is seeming like a particularly good idea now.

Unfortunately, not many places to go to do what I do here in Tulsa (Technical Writer.) I'm actually very interested in going into a more Marketing type role and interacting with normal people instead of engineers, but it seems that will require at least a 15% pay cut

Moving isn't an option until Sept of 2012 when we would no longer have to pay back the housing credit.

Sorry, just thinking out loud.

If people are jumping ship, I say opportunity! Someone has to fill those roles.

By Housing Credit I'm presuming you mean the first time homebuyer tax credit.

FYI only the first wave of housing credit has to be paid back. If you got one of the later ones then you don't have to pay it back.

In this day and age, it seems like a technical writer could live just about anywhere and work remotely.

If you start marketing side jobs, it will position you better for a permanent change if something happens.

Sounds like something bad is coming the company's way and everyone that knows is jumping ship before it sinks/lands .

Might want to start looking for an new job.

Paul B

z31maniac wrote: So in the last 8 weeks we have had the following resignations: - Director of HR - VP of Finance - VP of Marketing and Sales - Head of fabrication (not sure of his exact title, but he was the top guy in charge of everything we build)

I think it would be interesting to see what the stock is doing and if officers are dumping. That could be a good indicator of future viability. No long term projects there?

z31maniac wrote: I'm actually very interested in going into a more Marketing type role and interacting with normal people instead of engineers,

Engineering department to Marketing = Out of the frying pan, into the fire.

Neither is a Mecca for "normal people".

I don't know, some of the strangest people I have worked with were tech writers.... Then again he was a tech writer with a PHD.

then again PHDs are automatically weird...

I would start looking.

If it is a public company - read the filings.

Also...
- Sales
- Finance
- HR
- Production

That reads like a start-up company. See if any of that sales guys contracts magically disappear. Maybe they need a tech writer.

cwh, I think it's the future threat of budget cuts along with pulling out of Iraq/Afghanistan (our generators are our bread and butter right now) and not many new ships are being built or overhauled.

Capt Slow, I post here don't I? I'm obviously a strange bird!

slantvaliant, That would honestly be fine with me. One reason my resume is already fairly ready-to-go is I've been super bored with what I do. It's mind numbingly easy (for me at least), honestly, if I was in charge, I would replace me with a unpaid internship.

SVrex, that's eventually what I would like to be able to do, I just don't have the breadth/depth of experience yet. Or enough money in the bank to make it through the slow spots and such. But it is my ultimate goal.